Rotor support arrangement



Nov. 16, 1965 R. BELLOWS ETAL ROTOR SUPPORT ARRANGEMENT Filed Oct. 31, 1963 nite States Patent 3,217,789 ROTOR SUPPORT ARRANGEMENT Richard Bellows and James A. Groves, Wellsville, N.Y., assignors, by mesne assignments, to The Air Preheater Company, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 31, 1963, Ser. No. 320,383 5 Claims. (Cl. 165-7) This invention relates to rotary regenerative heat exchange apparatus and particularly to a mount-ing arrangement for horizontally disposed apparatus that permits structurally independent parts thereof to expand and contract freely without mutual interference therebetween.

Mounting arrangements that permit a rotor and its surrounding rotor housing to expand and contract freely have been successfully developed for rotary regenerative heat exchangers of the vertically mounted type, it being a relatively simple procedure to suspend a rotor and its surrounding housing from a single fixed support in order that its several parts may freely expand or contract in any direction without producing interference between parts. With horizontally mounted rotary regenerative heat exchange apparatus, however, a plurality of axially aligned fixed support members are required to independently support both ends of the rotor itself and itssurrounding housing so that the problem of support is made substantially more complex.

In conventional heat exchange apparatus 'a temperature gradient developed within the apparatus during its operation will produce thermal distortion of the rotor and its surrounding housing such that there will likely be an interference between relatively movable parts or else there will be a separation of parts that will provide openings through which one or more of the gases flowing through the heat exchanger may leak to thereby lower its operating efficiency. It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide a mounting arrangement for such apparatus that will permit the rotor and the rotor housing to expand and contract independently without producing such undesirable operating characteristics.

This and other objects of my invention will be more apparent upon reference to the following specification and accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, to show the support arrangement for a horizontal heat exchanger, and

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view of the bearing support arrangement used at opposite ends of the rotor.

In the drawings a cylindrical rotor is formed about a central rotor post having radial partitions 12 that extend outward therefrom to a cylindrical rotor shell 14 to form a series of sectorial compartments 16 adapted to contain a quantity of heat absorbent material 18. Trunnions 22 at opposite ends of the rotor are supported in rotor support bearings 24 which are in turn carried by vertical support pedestals 26 bearing upon a firm structural base.

The rotor is surrounded by an essentially cylindrical rotor housing 28 that includes transition means 32 at opposite ends thereof which are suitably apertured on spaced sides to permit a heating fluid and a fluid to be heated to flow between their respective inlet and outlet ducts and through the heat absorbent material carried by the rotor.

To prevent the intermingling of said fluids as they pass through the heat exchanger, sector plates 34 are provided at the ends of the rotor and arranged to lie in sealing relationship with the end edge of the radial partitions 12, and axial sealing plates 36 are arranged on opposite sides of the rotor and in axial alignment with the ends of the sector plates to lie in sealing relation with the periphery of the rotor and thus prevent fluid flow through the space lying intermediate the rotor and the rotor housing.

The radial outer ends of the sector plates 34 pivotally abut the ends of the axial seal plates 36 which lie in the annular space between the rotor and the rotor housing, the sector plates 34 being pivotally held with respect to the adjacent transition means in order that they might pivot about an axis substantially tangent to the rotor shell. The, radial inner end of each sector plate 34 fits snugly but pivotally into a slot 30 formed on each side of a center spool 38. Each center spool 38 is axially apertured to centrally receive a rotor trunnion 22 which is supported at its outboard end by the bearing means 24. Studs 42 extending axially from the center spool are secured to the independent structure of the support pedestal 26 whereby the axial spacing between the center spools 38 at opposite ends of the rotor will remain constant throughout wide temperature variations.

In order that the supportbear-ings may be positioned directly adjacent the rotor and thus preclude excessive bending of the rotor trunnions, the connecting plates are each provided with a suitable tunnel or tunnels 44 through which are directed the vertical beams of the support pedestals 26. A platform 46 between beams of the pedestal thus carried support bearings 24 concentric with the center spool and closely adjacent the end of the rotor in space usually occupied alone by the connecting plate.

A lateral shelf 48 extends outward from each beam of the support pedestal 26 to provide a support pad as an integral part thereof completely independent from the rotor or its housing.

A flange 52 extends similarly outward from connecting plate structure directly above the lateral shelf 48 and in a plane substantially alined with the horizontal axis of the rotor. The space between the shelf 48 and flange 52 is thus adapted to receive a suitable pivot means such as a spherical member or sector shaped rocker support 54. With the connecting plates supported by supports 54, each connecting plate structure at opposite ends of the rotor is free to pivot about an axis horizontally alined with but substantially normal to the rotor axis, while the independently supported rotor is free to thermally distort within its housing on an axis determined by the spaced bearings 24. As the rotor housing expands or contracts, the sector plates 34 being carried thereby at their outer edge move similarly while their radial inner ends are held in a relatively fixed position by their connection to the pedestal 26. By a simple adjustment of the nuts on the ends of studs 42, the axial relationship of the inner ends of sector plates 34 and the adjacent end of the rotor may be accurately adjusted to provide an optimum sealing relationship therebetween, it being entirely possible to make such adjustments during normal operation of the apparatus.

While this invention has been thus described with reference to the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, it is evident that numerous changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We claim:

1. Rotary regenerative heat exchange apparatus having a horizontal rotor mounted for rotation about a horizontally disposed rotaor post, a housing surrounding said rotor including transition means at opposite ends of the rotor having apertures that direct the flow of a heating fluid and a fluid to be heated through the rotor, duct means for the heating fluid and the fluid to be heated secured to the transition means, and support means at spaced ends of the rotor supporting the rotor post and the spaced connecting plates, said support means having pivotal supports that support the transition means on a pivotal axis substantially normal to the axis of rotation of said rotor post.

2. Rotary regenerative heat exchange apparatus having a horizontal rotor mounted for rotation about a horizontally disposed rotor shaft, a housing surrounding said rotor including transition means at opposite ends of the rotor having apertures that direct the flow of a heating fluid and a fluid to be heated through the rotor, and vertical support means at spaced ends of the rotor supporting the rotor post and the transition means independently of one another, said transition means having radial passageways therethrough which admit said support means whereby said support means might be disposed closely adjacent the ends of the rotor.

3. Rotary regenerative heat exchange apparatus having a horizontal rotor mounted for rotation about a horizontally disposed rotor post, support trunnions at opposite ends of the rotor post, a housing surrounding the rotor including transition means at opposite ends of the rotor apertured to direct the flow of heating fluid and fluid to be heated through the rotor, support pedestals at spaced ends of the rotor, bearing means carried by each pedestal to rotatably support the rotor trunnions, and support means carried by each pedestal to pivotally support each transition means on an axis in substantially the same horizontal plane as the axis of rotation of said rotor.

4. Rotary regenerative heat exchange apparatus having a horizontal rotor mounted for rotation about a horizontally disposed rotor post, support trunnions at opposite ends of the rotor post, a housing surrounding the rotor including transition means at opposite ends thereof apertured to direct the flow of heating fluid and fluid to be heated through the rotor, independently mounted support pedestals at spaced ends of the rotor, bearing means carried by each pedestal arranged to support the rotor trunnions for rotation'about their horizontal axis, sealing plates between each end of the rotor and the adjacent transition means pivotally supported by the support pedestal at a fixed distance therefrom, and support means carried by at least one of said support pedestals arranged to pivotally support the adjacent transition means for rotation about a horizontal axis substantially alined with the axis of rotation of said rotor.

5. Rotary regenerative heat exchange apparatus having a horizontal rotor mounted for rotation about a horizontally disposed rotor post, support trunnions at opposite ends of the rotor post axially alined therewith, a housing surrounding the rotor including transition means at opposite ends thereof apertured to direct the flow of heating fluid and a fluid to be heated through the rotor, vertical support pedestals at spaced ends of the rotor, hearing means carried by each pedestal to rotatably support the rotor trunnions, sector shaped sealing plates between the ends of the rotor and the adjacent transition means pivotally supported at their inner end by said pedestal and at their outer end by the rotor housing, and support means carried by said support pedestals arranged to pivotally support the transition means on a horizontal axis substantially normal to the horizontal axis of the rotor.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,732,184 1/1956 Ballard et a1. -7 2,747,843 5/1956 Cox et al. 165-7 3,010,703 11/1961 Bellows et al. 1659 FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Primary Examiner.

CHARLES SUKALO, Examiner. 

1. ROTARY REGENERATIVE HEAT EXCHANGE APPARATUS HAVING A HORIZONTAL ROTOR MOUNTD FOR ROTATION ABOUT A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED ROTATOR POST, A HOUSING SURROUNDING SAID ROTOR INCLUDING TRANSITION MEANS AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE ROTOR HAVING APERTURES THAT DIRECT THE FLOW OF A HEATING FLUID AND A FLUID TO BE HEATED THROUGH THE ROTOR, DUCT MEANS FOR THE HEATING FLUID AND THE FLUID TO BE HEATED SECURED TO THE TRANSISTOR MEANS, AND SUPPORT MEANS AT 